The present invention relates to oil-in-water or water-in-oil emulsions which contain significant amounts of oil in the form of highly unsaturated fatty acids and derivatives thereof which are stabilized against oxidative attack upon the unsaturated oils. These highly unsaturated compounds have at least three to six double bonds and would include all of the cis forms of 5, 8, 11, 14, 17-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which contains five of such double bonds, and all of the cis forms of 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19-docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which contains six of such double bonds, and all of the food, drug and cosmetic grade derivatives thereof. The CAS Registry No. of EPA is 10417-94-4, and the CAS Registry No. of DHA is 6217-54-5. The stabilization is accomplished by the use of carbohydrate with or without ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid compositions as disclosed hereinafter.